Connect with us

Latest news

N45.7bn Court Judgement: Shell Accused Of Ripping Off EJAMA-Ebubu Community

Published

on

Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has described as dubious the recent “consent judgement” passed by the federal high court in which the indebtedness of Shell was drastically reviewed downwards to N45.7 billion, adding that it is an attempt to rip-off of the community by Shell.

ERA/FoEN added that it is an orchestratration strategy by Shell to take communities through long harrowing legal obstacles to deny them justice.

Executive Director of ERA/FoEN, Dr. Godwin Uyi 0jo, while disclosing this in a statement made available to INFO DAILY shortly after the general meeting of the organiztion held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, lamented that it took Shell good 30 years before the company finally bow to the will of the people and the dictates of justice.

READ ALSO: N81.9bn Compensation: ERA/FoEN Wants ExxonMobil To Obey Court Judgement

According to him, it is only when Shell is cornered as in the present case that they turn around and make an offer for full and final settlement of all claims by communities without admitting any wrongdoing.

Advertisement

While stating that ERA/FoEN welcomed the judgement and Shell readiness to compensate the comminity (Ejama-Ebubu in Eleme local Government Area of Rivers State) over $110 million or N45.7 billion naira as full and final settlement for an oil spill that occurred in the area, the Executive Director applauded the people of Ejama-Ebubu community for their steadfastness in the pursuit of justice, remediation and restoration of their destroyed environment as well as the well-deserved compensation for the losses they have suffered.

Dr. Ojo who recalled how Shell’s facilities, in 1970, polluted the community’s environment and thereby causing oil spill, said Shell neither clean, restore, nor compensated the community for the losses they had suffered as a result of the spill until now.

“But in 1991, the community being dissatisfied with the failure of Shell to remediate and restore their environment filed a case before the Nigeria’s Federal High Court of justice.

READ ALSO: Just In: Netherlands Court Held Shell Liable For Oil Spill In N’Delta, Orders Compensation, ERA/FoEN Lauds Judgement

“Further to this legal action, in 2010 the federal high court awarded compensation to the community in the sum of N17 billion naira but Shell in its usual intransigence vigorously objected to paying the compensation awarded by the court and proceeded to drag out the case.

“In November 2020 the supreme court rejected Shell’s last ditch bid to set aside the 2010 compensation award. This judgement debt of N17 billion, had after 11 years of Shell’s intransigence ballooned to N180 billion,” he said.

Advertisement

He continues, “This same scenario played out in the case of Saro-Wiwa and other vs Shell in New York in 2009, Bodo vs Shell at the industrial court in London 2016. Shell’s refusal to accept responsibility implies that the company is yet to learn any lesson from their wanton destruction of the environment and therefore unwilling to make changes to their clean-up operations from their frequent oil spills and destruction of livelihoods.”

On his part in the statement, Mike Karikpo, Director of Programs, ERA/FoEN, described the judgement as “bitter-sweet victory as the agreed compensation payout by Shell is merely a fraction of what the company owes the Ejama-Ebubu community.

“Shell has gotten away again with shortchanging the people of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria,” he stated.

They, therefore, called on communities in the Niger Delta region impacted by “reckless oil extraction” to demand full accountability from every oil company.

READ ALSO: Proposed Sales Of Shell’s Assets:Environment Rights Organistion Wants Govt, CSOs Monitor Process

ERA/FoEN also emphasised the need to clean oil impacted ecosystems across the country as a way of restoring and compensating communities and individuals whose livelihoods were impacted even as the short-lived age of oil comes to an end.

Advertisement

 

 

Advertisement
Comments

Latest news

Man, 38 Escapes Assassination Attempt In Benin

Published

on

By

Innocent Omoruyi

By Omokha Andrew

A 38-year-old activist, Innocent Omoruyi, narrowly escaped assassination in the early hours of Wednesday, July 19, 2023 as his residence at Obe Community,Sapele Road in Benin city was attacked by yet to be identified gun men.

The attack which eye witnesses say was viciously executed on Wednesday, July 19, 2023 bore the markings of a dreaded cult group terrorizing Benin City, the state capital.

The Obe, Sapale Road incident, it was learnt, happened soon after Omoruyi left the house to attend to matters of interest some few metres away from his home.

The assailants were said to have shot sporadically in their frustration as residents scampered for safety.

Advertisement

However, Omoruyi escaped unharmed.

One of the eye witnesses who craved anonymity said: “The felons apparently went for the kill, weilding guns and other dangerous weapons. “We are shocked that they didn’t see Innocent Omoruyi who was just some few metres away from home when they arrived”.

“How that happened, only God knows and it was obvious that it wasn’t his time to die yet and just before that not long ago his business place on Lagos Street, Benin City was burnt down in the middle of the night by unknown arsonists.

“This sequence of events is not ordinary. We know it’s politically motivated due to the role he played in the last general elections. He has been advised to go into hiding at the moment for his personal safety”, he concluded.

When contacted, the police Public Relations Officer Chidi Nwabuzor said he was yet to get any information as regards the latest incident. He promised to feed our correspondent with relevant details as soon as they become handy.

Our information source however revealed that the matter has already been incidented at the Love World Police station on Sapele Road, Benin city.

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Business

Nigeria To Earn Over $4bn Revenue As FEC Okays Concession Of Abuja, Kano Airports

Published

on

By

Nigeria will earn over $4 billion in nominal revenue as the Federal Executive Council, FEC, on Wednesday okayed the concession of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, to the Corporacion American Airport Consortium, a Luxembourg-based company.

James Odaudu, the Special Assistant on Public Affairs to the Minister of Aviation, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

According to him, the Council also approved that the Federal Ministry of Aviation would be renamed the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace.

READ ALSO: ATMs To Be Upgraded For Loans Services As CBN Gives Banks Ultimatum…

The statement noted that the company would make combined upfront payments of $8.5 million for the concession of NAIA and MAKIA.

Advertisement

He added that the development would spur evidential growth within the Nigerian aviation industry.

In alignment with the Aviation Roadmap, approved by Mr President on 18th October 2016, the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace is delighted to inform all stakeholders, both local and international, and the media, that the concession of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano has been approved by the Federal Executive Council,” the statement said.

READ ALSO: Peter Obi, LP Must Pay N1.5million To Access Documents – INEC

In December 2022 and January 2023, Corporacion American Airport Consortium was announced as the preferred bidder for the airport’s concession after scaling through a series of evaluations of technical and financial bids.

Nominal revenues mean income not adjusted for inflation and decreasing purchasing power.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Latest news

Russia Expelled From Council Of Europe Amid War With Ukraine

Published

on

By

The Council of Europe says it has expelled Russia with immediate effect after 26 years of membership because of the Ukraine war.

The Committee of Ministers took the decision in a special session, the rights body announced in the French city of Strasbourg on Wednesday.

Earlier, Russia had already declared its withdrawal from the Council of Europe after it had taken steps to exclude it.

On Tuesday evening, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted unanimously in favour of Russia’s exclusion.

Russia joined the Council of Europe on Feb. 28, 1996.

Advertisement

Together with the formal notification of the withdrawal, the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe also received information from the Russian Federation on Tuesday about its intention to denounce the European Convention on Human Rights.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, the leaders of the Council of Europe once again condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

READ ALSO: Ukraine: Horror As Russian Forces Shoot People Queuing For Bread

They expressed their solidarity with the Russian people, who continue to belong to the European family and share its values.

The body said it would continue to stand by Ukraine in the fight against the aggressor.

The Council of Europe monitors the observance of human rights in its 46 member states and is not part of the European Union.

Advertisement

The body reacted to the Russian invasion of Ukraine two weeks ago by suspending Russia’s membership, this decision was considered historic.

Continue Reading

Trending